Bailard Inc. Takes Position in Bath & Body Works, Inc. $BBWI

Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 24,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $642,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Bath & Body Works by 92.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,815,000 after buying an additional 28,815 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Bath & Body Works by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 645,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,586,000 after acquiring an additional 87,529 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Bath & Body Works by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 562,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,063,000 after acquiring an additional 36,684 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bath & Body Works during the 1st quarter worth about $1,155,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Bath & Body Works by 217.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. 95.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Steven E. Voskuil acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $15.04 per share, with a total value of $300,800.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 33,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $510,232. The trade was a 143.63% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen D. Steinour acquired 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.86 per share, for a total transaction of $99,562.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 48,175 shares in the company, valued at $715,880.50. This represents a 16.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 33,513 shares of company stock worth $500,442. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Bath & Body Works

Here are the key news stories impacting Bath & Body Works this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded BBWI from “strong sell” to “hold,” which could temper selling pressure by some investors. Zacks Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains a “hold,” indicating analysts are not broadly bullish despite volatility. Consensus Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple national law firms have filed or announced investigations and are soliciting lead plaintiffs in a securities‑class action alleging material misstatements/omissions covering June 4, 2024–Nov. 19, 2025 — raising the prospect of litigation costs, management distraction and reputational damage. Schall Law Firm Notice
• Negative Sentiment: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld and other firms cite a significant prior stock drop (reports reference a ~24% plunge) tied to the alleged disclosures, and are urging investors to contact counsel — this amplifies near‑term selling and uncertainty. BFA Fraud Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Additional plaintiff firms (Kessler Topaz, Rosen, Levi & Korsinsky, Bragar, Pomerantz, Faruqi, Kaplan Fox, and others) have issued alerts and deadline reminders for lead‑plaintiff motions (mid‑March deadlines), signaling broad, coordinated litigation activity. Kessler Topaz Alert

Bath & Body Works Stock Down 1.8%

BBWI stock opened at $22.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.17. Bath & Body Works, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.27 and a 12 month high of $41.87. The company has a market capitalization of $4.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.51.

Bath & Body Works (NYSE:BBWI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.05). Bath & Body Works had a net margin of 9.50% and a negative return on equity of 47.35%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 EPS. Bath & Body Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.870- EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.700- EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Bath & Body Works, Inc. will post 3.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bath & Body Works Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Bath & Body Works’s payout ratio is currently 24.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Bath & Body Works from $40.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Bath & Body Works from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $21.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Bath & Body Works in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $23.53.

About Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works, Inc is a leading specialty retailer focused on personal care, home fragrance and complementary products. Through its flagship Bath & Body Works brand, the company offers a diverse assortment of shower gels, lotions, fragrance mists, candles and home fragrance items. Its product portfolio also includes the White Barn Candle Co range of premium scented candles and diffusers. Bath & Body Works serves consumers through a combination of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platforms, delivering seasonal collections, limited-edition releases and signature scent lines.

Founded in 1990 as part of Limited Brands (now L Brands), Bath & Body Works opened its first store in New Albany, Ohio, and quickly expanded across the United States.